The Pixar theory is a popular theory created by author Jon Negroni. This theory spread all throughout the internet like wildfire back in 2015, and it recently resurfaced during quarantine when audiences had more time on their hands to kick back and watch Pixar films.

If you’re unfamiliar with this term, the Pixar Theory is that all the Pixar movies exist within one universe or timeline. It explains the existence of magic, intelligent animals, and even talking cars all in one interconnected universe. This timeline has many different interpretations and different start and endpoints. Most believe that the films start with The Good Dinosaur, set over 65 million years ago, and end with Monsters, Inc., in the year 5000. There are three different groups within this universe: animals, humans, and machines, each reaching different highs and lows throughout the timeline.

The animals have a short rise and really don’t get much more powerful than in this brief spotlight. They had the most power during The Good Dinosaur, a film that came out in 2015, in which dinosaur Arlo and the rest of the dinosaurs avoid going distinct when an asteroid passes by instead of hitting the Earth. Arlo befriends Spot, a wild human, and they soon become close friends. The Good Dinosaur provides the foundation for the fact that, in the Pixar universe, animals can become just as intelligent as humans. But other than this triumphant moment for animals, they never get much power. There are still little moments when the animals rise up. Iconic animals include Kevin from Up and Nemo and Dory from Finding Nemo. But those are all the main animals that have evolved so much because humans have been absent. In fact, some Pixar films feature common occurrences of humans harming the natural world. For example, in Finding Dory we see the cars hiding in the trash and a world of pollution in WALL-E. This is just one of the examples of humans harming animal life through pollution. 

The machines in this theory come from films like Cars and WALL-E, featuring Buy n Large (BNL). The machines first try to get rid of humans through violence as seen in The Incredibles. But then they see that they can just pamper them to death, like in WALL-E, forcing humans to disarm themselves through their own laziness. 

Regardless of whether the theory is true or not, shared universes are a fun way for fans to connect their favorite movies together. As Pixar continues to release more films, the theory will have to adapt in order to include the new storylines.

Sources:

https://the-take.com/watch/what-is-the-pixar-theory